Thomas Tuchel is the new manager of Paris Saint-Germain.
The German coach was announced as PSG’s new boss on Monday, with Unai Emery to step aside as their boss despite leading them to the Ligue 1, French Cup and French League Cup treble in his second season in charge
PSG said the following in a statement on their website.
“Paris Saint-Germain is pleased to announce the arrival of Thomas Tuchel as coach. The German technician signed a two-year contract with the champions of France.”
The former Borussia Dortmund coach, who was linked with a move to Arsenal over the past 12 months, hasn’t been in a job since he left Dortmund at the end of the 2016/17 campaign.
Tuchel left Dortmund in acrimonious fashion but the fact that he’s been linked with jobs in the Premier League, as well as at Bayern Munich and elsewhere in Europe, prove his pedigree.
“It is with great joy, pride and ambition that I join this great world football club that is Paris Saint-Germain,” Tuchel said. “I look forward to working with all these great players, all of whom are among the best on the planet. With my staff, we will do everything to help the team push their limits to the highest of international level. There is extraordinary potential in Paris and this is the most exciting challenge that has come to me. I am also looking forward to discovering Parc des Princes, a legendary European football stadium with a fantastic atmosphere.”
The biggest challenge for Tuchel, 44, will be delivering success in the UEFA Champions League, something which evaded Emery as PSG crashed out in devastating fashion to Barcelona in 2016/17 and then again at the hands of Real Madrid this season.
With a strike force of Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani, PSG can rip apart the majority of UCL teams but they came unstuck in the knockout rounds this season against Real Madrid as they also lost Neymar with a serious ankle injury during that series.
Although Neymar’s future at PSG remains uncertain despite only completing his world-record move from Barca last summer, the future now looks steadier for PSG.
Tuchel is a talented tactician who led Dortmund to back-to-back top three finishes, a German Cup success and a trip to the UCL last eight during his two seasons in charge at the Westfalenstadion. He also developed the likes of Christian Pulisic into full-time pros, while he seemed to get the best out of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan in a fluid, attacking system.
Defense is where PSG needs to improve if they’re ever going to get past the last eight of the UCL and the jury is out as to whether Tuchel can deliver the European success Les Parisiens crave.